On Friday we erected the Ice House, c. 1770. This small, 10′ x 13′, frame is an exact replica of the larger barn to which it was found adjacent. The Ice House had been fully sheathed inside and out, and the wall cavities filled with sawdust, for insulation. It is extremely rare to find an…
A few months back, we disassembled a barn in Lebanon, Maine. Since then, we took the pieces back to the shop, repaired what we could, and re-designed the rest. This Spring, we assembled the frame using original and remade pieces, and Shawn and his crew have been busy hanging the cornice. Click on the photos…
Last week, we dropped the staging from the front of the York First Parish Church. After the 24 ft picks were lowered smoothly, we took apart the rest of the ledgers and standards like a rogue band of dismantling Doozers. Staging takedowns like that don’t just happen, they are engineered, by people like Keith Trefethen. …
Maine Preservation recently released an independent study of the economic impact of Maine’s Historic Preservation Tax Credit. Read all about it. Since the start of Maine’s Historic Preservation Tax Credit in 2008, $135 million has been privately invested by developers rehabbing historic commercial buildings in the state of Maine . This $135 million comes in…
For the third summer, the North Bennet Street School is collaborating with the Shaker Museum and Library to offer a range of workshops in preservation and traditional woodworking at Mount Lebanon Shaker Village, in New Lebanon, NY. A number of PTF employees graduated from the Preservation Carpentry program at North Bennet and can vouch for…
On Thursday, June 9, Maine Preservation presented their Annual Honors Awards as part of the Vital Maine Communities Conference. Maine Preservation presented an award of Excellence in Craftsmanship to the craftspeople who restored the Brown-Pearl Hall at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. These included Robin Neely, Maker of leaded windows, Ben Coombs, Glass Blower,…
These past few weeks, with the inclement weather, the York Congregational trim has kept us busy in the shop. Using a steam box, we carefully scraped the lead paint from the trim pieces, made dutchman repairs, and filled nail holes with West System epoxy. We were able to repair 90% of the scroll-shaped trim that…
We have begun replacing the clock faces of the First Parish Congregational Church in York, Maine. Formed in 1636, the congregation is the oldest in Maine. The current building was built in 1747, and moved to its position, facing the road, in 1888. It is time for this old girl to get a face lift. …
In 1900, Charles Goodhue drew this sketch from the memory of an elderly parishioner. This is one of the only remaining images that depict the building from this era. Fortunately, evidence within the building has proven this sketch to be remarkably accurate. From the beginning of our involvement in the project, we have been looking…
During the past few months, Ed has been busy at the shop cutting a reproduction barn frame for a client. The original barn fell in a Nor’Easter, and we salvaged as much as we could. We will re-use much of the bracing, an upper gable, and a front gable drive post that has a large…